Most Enchanting Christmas Trains in Oregon

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Have you ever taken a Christmas train in Oregon? If you said no, are you ready to have the best Christms experience ever? That is exactly what you are going to experience with this awesome holiday tradition. There are few better ways to celebrate the holidays then with a an enchanting Christmas train in Oregon.

Holidays in Oregon

If you have spent anytime in Oregon during the holidays, you know how much great stuff is here for the holidays. From magical Christmas towns to some of the best Christmas light displays you have ever seen, there is no shortage of things to do for the holidays in Oregon. Why wouldn’t we have amazing Christmas trains here too?

The holiday season is full of rushed days and nights, insane traffic, crowded stores and too many calendar events to count. Don’t you ever just want to sit down and escape the craziness for just a little while? This is exactly what you can do by taking a ride on one of these Christmas Trains in Oregon.

All of these trains provide a relaxing, beautiful opportunity to explore the Oregon countryside while also getting a chance to do other holiday activities. For example, many of the trains offer the kids the chance to meet Santa Claus, some have elves provide treats and others will take you to popular holiday shopping destinations.

This is the Pacific Northwest, so we can’t promise that there will be snow on the ground, but the views will be beautiful regardless! Many of these trains require reservations, so be sure to call ahead and plan your trip.

Most Enchanting Christmas Trains in Oregon

One of the most popular Christmas trains in Oregon is the Holiday Express Train. This ride begins at Oaks Park and rolls though the Oregon Pacific Railroad along the Willamette River. During the 45 minute train ride you can enjoy holiday treats and have your photo taken with Santa. If you take one of the evening rides, you will find yourself lucky enough to see train festively decorate with lights.

What many Oregonians have come to know as the Polar Express has a new name this year! The Mount Hood Railroad is now home to the Train to Christmas Town (based upon another train-themed Christmas book, written by Peggy Ellis). This train ride features a visit from Santa, holiday treats, a fun woodland critters on board.

The Oregon Coast is among the most beautiful coastlines in the world and the Candy Cane Express is a Christmas train that allows you to combine your love of the holidays with your love of the Pacific Ocean. While on this 60 minute ride, you will get to enjoy holidays treats and meet Santa. For evening trips, the train will be festively lit up. The Candy Cane Express runs from Garibaldi Oregon to Rockaway Beach.

If you are really wanting to enjoy the nostalgia that a Christmas train can bring about, the Christmas Train in the tiny Eastern Oregon town of Sumpter will do just that! The steam-powered train ride features treats with Santa and then you can hop off at the wildly popular Sumpter Christmas Bazaar.

The Zoo train isn’t quite the Christmas train as we all think of it, but it is a must-do for the holidays. The 6 minute excursion through the zoo is a visitor’s favorite way to view the 1.5 million light display at Zoo Lights during the Christmas season. Step off the train and grab a cocoa or other holiday treat and have your photos taken with Santa!

When: Train runs year round, but Zoo lights and Christmas festivities take place from 11/29 through 12/24

Cost: $4.50

This will be our first year taking a Christmas train ride and I am so excited about it! I have friends that go every single year and love it. They suggest for the best holiday photo opps we should all wear our Christmas PJs on board the train. What do you think? Would you wear your PJs for a Christmas train ride?

Please note that we will be updating this list as we discover more and more awesome Christmas trains in Oregon, so if you know of a great one, not on the list, please share in the comments. We will add it in.